1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system for designing a control panel and, more particularly, to a reconfigurable control system which facilitates the layout, configuration, and testing of control panels.
2. Discussion
Control panel layouts are currently designed by several methods. The most common method of designing control panels is through layout of a design which is drawn on paper with drafting tools or by computer aided design. In such a method, the two-dimensional designs developed on paper or computer can be incorporated into a prototype. One problem with this method is that it does not promote refinement or experimentation with a physical design layout due to prohibitive costs for the redesigning and building of prototypes.
With the advent of computer graphics, control panels may alternatively be designed to incorporate interactive computer displays. This interaction with the computer simulated control panel is made possible through the application of interactive devices such as touch sensitive panels overlaying the computer screen or other external pointing devices. This particular design method enables one to quickly reconfigure a simulated panel through the reprogramming of the display, at a relatively modest cost. However, such a technique is not without its own drawbacks. For example, computer graphics with interactive computer displays offer extremely low physical fidelity for interactions with a simulated control panel.
Accordingly, it is a primary objective of the present invention to combine the flexibility and cost effectiveness of a computer assisted simulation control panel with the high physical fidelity of a prototype.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive means to design and experiment with control panel layouts in a high-fidelity environment.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a reconfigurable system for control panel design and testing in which control panel elements can be moved quickly and easily, either independently or within small groupings of elements.